US arms negotiator: Countering N. Korean threat is Trump’s top priority

The U.S. ambassador for disarmament reportedly said Tuesday that President Trump’s “top priority” is protecting the nation from North Korea’s threats.

“My president’s top priority remains protecting the homeland, U.S. territories and our allies against North Korean aggression,” Robert Wood told a United Nations conference,  Reuters reported.

“We remain prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the growing threat from North Korea.”

{mosads}Wood’s comments come amid a month of increased tensions between Pyongyang and Washington that included North Korea’s threat to attack waters near Guam following Trump’s increased rhetoric about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

North Korea reportedly backed off its threat to launch missiles toward the U.S. territory, but on Sunday warned the U.S. that it faces a “merciless strike” due to its “reckless behavior.”

At the conference, Wood emphasized the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development.

“North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs pose grave threats to the entire world,” he said, according to Reuters. “Its recent ICBM tests are another example of the dangerous reckless behavior of the North that is destabilizing the region and beyond.”

Pyongyang last month conducted two intercontinental ballistic missile tests and announced it has miniaturized a nuclear weapon that can fit on a missile.